Welcome to Maren's CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement.
On February 19th, 2019, Maren was diagnosed with systemic scleroderma, a rare autoimmune rheumatic disease affecting her skin, joints, and some digestive organs. Shortly after her diagnosis, an auto-antibody test revealed she has ANA-B, a rheumatic antibody that targets and attacks her healthy tissues and organs. With knowledge of the ANA-B, her treatment is focused primarily on minimizing external and internal skin and tissue involvement and controlling the severity of various secondary conditions frequently associated with the disease, such as GERD and Raynaud's phenomenon.
Alongside systemic scleroderma, Maren lives with a form of inflammatory bowel disease called Crohn's disease, which was diagnosed in 2016 and primarily affects her stomach and small intestine.
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On June 26th, 2019, Maren underwent major thoracic surgery at The University of Minnesota Medical Center to address the damage scleroderma had caused to her internal organs. While her recovery has been challenging, the surgery was successful.
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